Swing



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` 3 Sheets-Sheet I.

(No Model.)

f Zyaw/e 6665 Patented May 9, |899. D. F. GRAHAM.

SWING.

(Application led Max'. 2, 1899.)

3 Shee'ts-'Sheei 2.

(N0 Model.)

` Patented May 9, |899. D. F. GRAHAM.

SWING.

(Application led Mar. 2, 1899.)

3 Shegts-Sheet 3.

(No Model.)

quUNITED 4STATES l PATENT OFFICE.

DAVID F. GRAHAM, OF SPRINGFIELD, MASSACHUSETTS.

swlNe.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 624,784, dated May 9, 1899. Y

Application filed March 2, 1899. Serial No. 707,507. (No model.) v

To @ZZ whom it may con/cern: 4

Beit known that I, DAVID F. GRAHAM, a citi= zen of the United States, residing at Spring'- Iield, in the county of Hampden and State of lVIassachusetts,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Swings; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which i-t appertains to make and use the same, referencebeing had to the accompanying drawings, and to the figures of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

' This invention relates to swings, its object being to provide a swing in which the chairs or seats may be given a reciprocating movement in a plane substantially parallel with the supporting-base, the movement being im` parted thereto Vby means of a foot-actuated platform.

Other objects are to so construct the swing that the supports will not extend any higher than the tops of the chairs and to generally improve the construction of swings of this character. y

With these objects in View the invention consists of the novel details of construction, combination, and arrangement of parts, as will hereinafter be fully described, and particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a perspective view of my improved swing.

Fig. 2 is a bottom plan view. Fig. 3 isa vertical longitudinal section. Fig. et is a vertical transverse section on the line 4 4 of Fig. Fig. 5 is a side elevation of the swing, showing the position of some of the parts when the chair-frame is moved toward one end of the supporting-base.

Similar reference-numerals indicate similar parts in the several iigures.

The support for the swing consists of a rectangular skeleton base-frame, the side piecesV of which are indicated by 1 and the end pieces by 2, and the vertical standards 3, secured at their lower ends to the side pieces 1 and arranged opposite each other near the ends of the base. Diagonal braces 4 connect the side pieces 1 andthe upper ends of the standards 3, `and in order to further stiifen the support I preferably employstruts 5, extending across the base-frame between the pairs of standards, anda tie-rod 6 below each strut, which rods extend through the side pieces and the lower ends of the standards.

While the entire device is designed to be portable, the support is intended to be relatively stationary'.

7 indicates a foot-platform formed, preferL ably, of a series of slats 8, extending trans*- versely of the base-frame and secured to spacedparallel stringere 9. The platform is connected to a rectangular skeleton frame, formed of the side pieces 10 and the end pieces 11, by means of short bars or cleats 12, rigidly secured to the stringers 9 and side pieces 10, and the platform and frame may thus be moved together. A rod 13 extends across the frame through the side pieces 10 at each end thereof and preferablyimmediately 7c above the end pieces 11, beyond which the said rods extend at each end.

The platform 7 and its frame are suspended on four links, (indicated by 14,)'the upper ends of said links being lpivotally connected to the upper `ends of the respective standards and theirlower ends pivoted on the ends of the respective rods 13. A cross-bar 15 is secured to the side pieces 10 about midway their length, and to the under side of this bar a suitable bracket 16 is secured, in each end of which a pulley 17 is journaled. For Ithe purpose of stiffen'ing the frame diagonal braces 1S are secured to the side pieces 10.

Another' rectangular skeleton frame is 8 5 formed of the side pieces 19 and end pieces 20 and for the sake of distinction will be called the chair-frame. To the outer face of each side piece 19, at its middle portion, inclined braces 21 are secured at their lower ends, and these braces incline away from `each other toward the ends of the frame.

Similar braces 22 are secured at their lower ends to the inner faces of the respective side pieces,near their ends, and incline oppositely 95 to the adjacent braces 2l. A rod 23 passes through the upper ends of the respective braces 2l and 22 at each end of the frame and extends at each end beyond them. This chair-frame is supported by four links 25, pivoted at their upper ends on the respective rods 23, outside the braces 21, and' at their lower ends on the rods 13, inside the links 14.. To enable the movement of the platform n IOO either direction to impart movement to the chair-frame in the same direction, a rope 2G passes around each pulley 17, and one end of each rope is secured to one of the end pieces 2O of the chair-frame and its other end to one of the rods 6.

The chairs each consist of a back 27 and seat 28 and are arranged to face each other. The backs are pivoted intermediate their ends on the respective rods 23, and the seats are hinged at their rear ends to thelower ends of the backs. A bar or rod 2f) is secured to each pair of braces 2l and extends across the space betweenthe braces in each pair. `The rods 29 support the seats against downward movement, and in order that the inclination of the back of the chair may be adjusted and maintained in the desired position I provide a series of recesses 30 in the lower edges of the side rails 3l of the seats, which are adapted to receive the rods 29, and it will be readily seen that the hack may be easily adjusted by lifting the front edge of the seat to disengage the seat from the rod, rocking the back to the desired position, and then causing` the proper recesses in the side rails 3l to engage the bar 29. The weight of the Vperson occupying the seat will prevent the accidental disengagement of the side rails from the bar.

In operation either one or both of the seats may be occupied. If both are occupied, the occupants will alternately push forward with their feet on the platform, and the latter will thus be'reciprocated and have a slight risingand-falling movement caused by the links 14 swinging in the arc of a circle. Owing to the manner of connecting the ropes 26 to the chair-frame,platform,and the stationary support, the chair-frame and chairs will move in the same direction as the platform, but twice the distance. The chair-frame and chairs will not, however, rise and fall to the same eX- tent as the platform, because the upper ends of the links 25 will move down after passing the vertical, but not quite as much as their lower ends will move up with the lower ends of the links 14, this being due to the difference in length between the links let and 25. The reciprocating movement of the chairframe will therefore be in a plane almost parallel with the su pportin g-base,and such frame will rise'at the ends of the stroke only enough to make the return easy. The movement of the chairs thus produced will be easy, smooth, and noiseless and will require but little exertion on the part of the occupant of the chair.

One of the most important advantages of my invention resides in the fact that the suspending and supporting devices are all below the tops vof the chairs, and the device can thereforebe more easily moved from place to place vand presents al much neater and more attractive appearance than when high poles are used to suspend the swing.

Having thus described my invention, I claiml. In a swing, the combination of a relatively stationary base-support, a foot-plat form supported on the base to have reciprocating movement, a chair-frame supported to reciprocate in the same direction as the footplatform, and rope-and-pulley connections between the base-support, the platform and the seat-carrying frame, substantially as described,

2. In a swing, the combination of a rela tively stationary base-support carrying ver! tical standards, a foot-platform, links pivoted at their upper ends to the standards and at their lower ends to the platform, a chairframe, links pivotally connected at their lower ends to the platform and at their upper ends to the chair-frame, and connections substantially as described between the basesupport, the platform and the chair-frame to transmit movement from the platform to the chair-frame, the movement of the latter being greater than that of the former, substantially as described.

In a swing, the combination of a relai tively stationary base-support carrying vertical standards, a foot-platform supported by the standards to have reciprocating movement, a chair-frame supported by the platform to reciprocate in a plane substantially parallel with' the base-support, connections to transmit movement from the platform to the chair-frame, and chairs carried by the chair-frame, said chairs being higher than the standards, substantially as described.

4. In a swing, the combination of a relatively stationary base-support, a foot-platform supported by the base to have reciprocatin g movement, a chair-frame su-pported to reciprocate in the same direction as the footplatform, a pair of pulleys attached to the platform, ropes passing around said pulleys, said ropes leading in opposite directions and their respective ends being connected to the chair-frame and base, respectively, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

5. In a swing, the combination with a baseframe and a pair of oppositely-arranged.

standards firmly secured to the base-frame at each end, of a foot-platform suspended by four links pivoted respectively at their upper ends to the upper ends of the respective standards, a chair-frame, four links pivotally connected at their upper ends to the chairframe and at their lower ends to the platform, a pair of pulleys on the platform, and a pair .o'f ropes respectively looped around the respective pulleys and leading in opposite directions, one end of each rope being secured to an end of the platform and the other end to the adjacent end portion of the base-frame, substantially as described.

6. In a swing, the combination with the base-support carrying standards, and a platform supported by the standards to have a longitudinal reciprocating movement, of a chair-frame comprising a skeleton frame,

oppositely-inclined braces arranged in pairs.

IOO

at each end portion of the frame and secured at their lower ends to the sides of the frame, rods extending transversely of the frame and to which the upper ends of the braces are connected, four links pivoted at their upper ends to the said rods and attheir lower ends to the platform-support, chairs supported between the said braces, and rope-and=pulley' connections between the chair-frame, the base and the platform, substantially as described.

7. In a swing, a chairframevsupported tohave a reciprocating moven1ent,- pairs of oppositelydnclined braces secured at 'theirl lower ends to the sides of the frame, and a rod extending transversely across the frame and connecting the upper ends of the braces, combined with a chair-back pivoted intermediate its ends on said rod between the braces, a seat hinged at its rear edge to Jthe lower end of the back and provided with a series d of recesses in each of its side rails, and a bar supported by the braces to be engaged by the recesses in the sides of the seat, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

8. In a swing, the combination of a baseframe carrying standards, a frame carrying a foot-platform, rods extending across the endsof said platform-frame, linkspivoted respectively at their upper ends to the upper ends of the respective standards and at their lower ends to the said rods, a chair-frame having oppositely-inclined braces secured at their lower ends to the sides of the. frame, rods extending across the frame and connecting the upper ends of the braces, and links' pivoted at their upper ends on the lastnamed rods, and at their lower 'ends on the irstmamed rods, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

DAVID F. GRAHAM.

Witnesses:

LEWIS J. SPEAR, CHARLES I-I. BEOKWITH. 

